Primary Sources: The 1960s: Riots, Protests, Sit-ins

"Detroit exploded as the pent of anger of the African American residents burst into flames after the police raided an after hours night club. The police couldn't handle the ensuing riot, or insurrection, as it's called by many in Detroit, and the governor, George Romney called out the National Guard. That wasn't enough. The 82nd Airborne flew in and Cyrus Vance, the special assistant to the Secretary of Defense, flew in to manage the situation for the White House. More than forty people were killed, countless more were arrested and block after block of the city was torched. The city has never been the same. White flight became a wholesale exodus as they abandoned Detroit en masse. Bluesman, John Lee Hooker sang, "The Motor City's burning down and it's worser (sp) than Vietnam." His sentiments were echoed by soldiers who patrolling streets on foot and in tanks after coming home from a tour of duty in Nam. The American promise hadn't made it to everyone and the Johnson administration was so tapped out trying to fight its war on poverty while conducting a shooting war in Vietnam that there were no more resources to throw at the problems confronting us here on the home front. All we could do was shoot some looters, jail some more and wait for the paroxysm of anger to dissipate so the tanks and soldiers could redeploy. A missed opportunity of grave consequences. "

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